


A Day to Celebrate

by espioc



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Cute, Face Painting, Festival, M/M, With meaning, about Starscream and money, i made some stuff up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-22
Updated: 2017-09-22
Packaged: 2019-01-04 03:37:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12160752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/espioc/pseuds/espioc
Summary: Starscream and Wheeljack spend the night at the Festival.





	A Day to Celebrate

**Author's Note:**

> Some the dialogue in this is lacking, but I hope you enjoy the rest of it.

Being the diplomat he was Starscream had accepted Windblade’s proposal for a celebration between the colonies. Celebrating the unity of Cybertronians in place of Chosen One Day. She had decided that it should be a big celebration, one worth every Cybertronian’s attendance. Something that would make people want to actually celebrate, come together, tolerate each other for at least a day.

It had been proposed that combining the multiple cultures would aid in the goal.

It seemed to be working, as even inch of the square was filled with people of all different frame types and backgrounds. Camiens, Velocitronians, someone from every colony. Games were set up in tents and shows were being done all around the streets. Aerial maneuvers, sword fighting demonstrations. Fireworks were going off a little ways away, filling the night sky with as much color as the street. Blurr had set up a temporary bar, which Starscream still wasn’t allowed into.

It was...fun. For everyone else.

Starscream, franky, felt crowded. The wary stares of his citizens didn’t go unnoticed, and the outright glares from both Autobots and Decepticons alike went even less unnoticed. To put it simply he felt uncomfortable, which was something he would be reluctant to admit to himself, as well as anyone else.

Starscream could feel something of a panic coming on as he walked through the crowd. Of course he kept on his stoic facade and did his best to smile (not smirk) at anyone who smiled at him. That wasn’t many people but some of the colonists greeted his with pleasant fields.

“Hey Starscream,” a voice broke through the crowd. Starscream was pulled from his thoughts, finding himself face to face with Wheeljack.

The scientist quirked a brow at him. “You okay?” he asked. “Yer lookin’ a little out of it.”

Starscream faked a smile. “I’m fine- just...enjoying the celebration.”

Starscream could tell he didn’t buy it. He didn’t buy the lie, nor did he buy the smile.    


“Sure,” Wheeljack said, not even pretending to be convinced. “You uh- here with anyone?”

“No,” Starscream answered a bit too quickly. “I-” he didn’t know what to say. Wheeljack knew well enough that there wasn’t anyone on this planet who would attend anything with Starscream unless it was diplomatically required. It wasn’t as though he had friends or anything.

“Well,” Wheeljack shrugged a shoulder. “I ain’t here with anyone. I was with Windblade and them, but they kinda ditched me. Wanna get a drink?”

The offer was surprising to say the least. Maybe Wheeljack was just desperate.

No matter the reason Starscream could only answer honestly. “I’m not allowed in Maccadams,” he said. “Blurr isn’t too fond of me, nor are any of the bar’s usual patrons.”

Wheeljack waved the answer off. “Aw, come on. It’s a party, right? I’m sure Blurr’ll ease up.”

Starscream stared at his friend with a wary eye. “Alright,” he agreed. “We can certainly try.”

The trek through the tightly knitted crowd was uncomfortable, to say the least. So many people touching him, brushing past against his wings. Starscream’s frame tightened as much as possible. He felt something touch his wrist and instinctively drew away.

“Sorry,” Wheeljack apologized, pausing. “Just didn’t wanna lose you.”

“Oh,” Starscream spit out weakly. With little hesitation Starscream put a hand on Wheeljack’s shoulder. The scientist shrugged. “Alright, that’ll work.”

They continued on. When they reached Blurr’s bar there was a bouncer at the entrance and a sign above the threshold with a crossed out picture of Starscream’s face.

“Huh,” Wheeljack huffed. “I guess I was wrong,” he mumbled.

Starscream removed his hand. “Well, we tried,” he said quickly, turning to leave. Wheeljack clamped a hand over his wrist and stopped him from going anywhere. “Now hold on a minute,” he dictated, keeping an eye on the bar. Starscream pulled his hand from the grip before trying to see what the engineer was looking at. Wheeljack seemed to be studying something, what, Starscream couldn’t tell. After a few seconds Wheeljack approached the bouncer. “Ey, uh, big guy,” he called up the the much taller bot. “Would Starscream and I be allowed to sit at one of the tables outside?”

The bouncer appeared to think for a moment. “Ask Blurr,” he concluded.

“Thanks,” Wheeljack muttered as he slipped past into the tent.

Starscream watched from the entrance as Wheeljack disappeared into the crowed of people. After hardly a moment Starscream realized the bouncer was looking at him with steady contempt. Starscream sneered at him. “What are you looking at?” he snapped.

The large bot quickly looked away, his confidence seeming to falter for a split second.

“Huh, that’s what I thought,” Starscream muttered before getting back to what he was doing. It was a few minutes until Wheeljack returned.

“Says we can sit outside,” he said immediately. “But they ain’t servin’ us. I’d have to go up and get everything.”

Starscream quirked a brow. “Are you okay with that?”

Wheeljack shrugged a shoulder. “Eh, no paint off my plating. I don’t anticipate staying long.”

They took a table on the edge of the tent, right outside the Starscream free zone so it wouldn’t be too much of a hassle for Wheeljack to get to the bar.

“How do ya want it?” he asked as Starscream sat down.

“Straight engex. Bitter. Cold.”

“Just like your spark,” Wheeljack slapped the table. “Got it.”

Before Starscream could counter the joke Wheeljack was rushing off to the bar. Starscream slumped in his seat, resting a heavy head on an upturned fist. The sound of the crowd still wore on his audio receptors, and despite being within the safety of a table the crowd still sent tingles through his frame. And not the good kind.  

It wasn’t too long before Wheeljack returned with their drinks. What Starscream was presented certainly wasn’t what he’d requested. Starscream eyed the drink, confused. It wasn’t purple, for one, in fact it was bright red. And it wasn’t served in a short stout glass like straight engex usually was, but in a triangular shaped glass with a tall stem.

“I don’t think this is what I asked for.”

“Yeah,” Wheeljack drawled. “Blurr refused to give me anything else.”

Hesitantly Starscream took a sip. He immediately spit it out, gagging.

“Ulgh!” he groaned. “This is disgusting,” he sneered. “I hope you didn’t pay for this.”

“I did. You can pay me back if you want.”

“I don’t have any money, but I might when I get some.”

“How do you not have any shanix? You’re the Ruler of Cybertron!”

Starscream lifted a brow.“What? You think that means anything Shanix wise? All our tax dollars go into rebuilding the city and creating energon distilleries as well as paying the staff,” he shrugged, resting his head on a fist while a finger circled the rim of his drink. “Most everything I need I just get, I don’t really have any Shanix of my own.”

“That’s stupid. That just means you can take advantage of everyone. No wonder you change your frame every other day.”

Starscream scowled. “ _ Why _ or  _ when _ I change my frame is none of your _ business _ . And as for everything else I live in a regular sized apartment and energon is free. For  _ everybody _ . I know I’ve taken advantage of people before, but that was when I  _ needed _ something. Right now I don’t need anything desperately enough to take advantage of an entire planet.”

Wheeljack’s brow raised. “It’s funny how you say that as thought there was a time when you  _ were _ desperate enough to take advantage of an entire planet.”

Starscream crossed his legs and grabbing his drink. “Well maybe I have,” he mumbled before taking another sip and forcing it down. “But I thought you didn’t want to concentrate on the past,” he smirked. “I mean, that’s the whole reason we’re doing this isn’t it?” he asked, making a vague gesture to the festival. “New beginning, and new allys.”

“Ya know, you don’t have to drink that if you don’t have to,” Wheeljack cut in, completely changing the subject.

“I know. Are you done with your drink?”

“Almost,” Wheeljack threw back the rest. “Now I am.”

“Good.”

Starscream poured the rest of his drink on the table before unceremoniously disposing of his glass in the puddle. “Lets go,” he proposed, climbing from his seat. Wheeljack just stared at the mess for a moment before following the Seeker.

“Ya know, that was pretty rude,” Wheeljack pointed out, despite knowing it was entirely on purpose. “I don’t think you shoulda done that.”

“Well, Blurr shouldn’t have purposefully served me the wrong drink now should he have?”

“Ya know if you fight spite with spite neither party is ever gonna get anywhere.”

“You’ve clearly never been spiteful enough,” Starscream muttered.

They walked in silence for a moment. Or, at least silence between them. The fesitval was still bustling with noise like it had been all day.

“Well now I’m really expectin’ you to pay me back for that drink,” Wheeljack muttered.

“I’ll pay you back if I come across any shanix. For now I think it’s best I head-”

“Oh hey, that looks interesting,” Wheeljack interrupted, pointing over to one of the larger set ups through the crowd. “Wanna go see?”

Starscream wasn’t sure exactly what he was looking at. It almost felt like a ploy. “See what? I don’t see anything,”

Wheeljack grabbed his wrist again. “Over here-”

Starscream was quick to pull free of the grip, but continued to follow the grounder through the crowd. They soon arrived at a brightly lit tent where bots were playing traditional Camien games, among other things. It was a big space, taking up an area long enough for four or five vendors, or more.

They were showing off swords and talking about their culture through the use of visuals. If one so wished they could sit around and listen to a Camien tell a traditional tale or get their face painted.

Starscream was less than impressed, but Wheeljack seemed excited so Starscream thought it best to hold off on saying anything too crude.

“We passed by here before, Windblade and I did. I thought it looked cool.”

Starscream shrugged a shoulder. “It’s fine I guess,” he muttered.

“Ah come on,” Wheeljack drawled. “You gonna be like this all night?”

Starscream quirked a brow. “All night? I was under the impression we were just getting a drink.”

Wheeljack quirked a brow right back. “Did you  _ really _ just wanna get a drink?” he asked skeptically.

Starscream’s fingers tapped against the side of his leg but his expression remained stoic. “Well...maybe I didn’t,” he mumbled, hardly loud enough for Wheeljack to hear.

Wheeljack smiled. “Well then, come on. Maybe you’ll learn something.”

The grounder dragged Starscream over to the sword fighting demonstration where they watched for a few minutes before Starscream got board. After that they moved to an area where someone was teaching people about the swords themselves, why certain weapons were used over others and what colors and shapes meant.

After that they played one of the games. One had to use a slingshot to hit a target. Starscream won against Wheeljack, as well as everyone else who was playing. For winning the Camien running it gave him a prize.

It was an energon lollipop. Starscream stared at the prize for a moment, wracking his brain trying to figure out what it was.

“What on Cybertron is this?” he asked the person who had given it to him.

“It’s a sweet treat,” she said. “You eat it.”

Starscream eyed it for another moment before boldly stuffing the purple part in his mouth. It was good, whatever it was. Sweet. In a pleasant way. It was like an energon treat, but not chewy.

“Enjoyin’ yer treat?” Wheeljack asked, smirking. Starscream merely nodded, his mouth too busy sucking away at the treat.

“I didn’t think you liked sweet things. I thought you were more into bitter tastin’ stuff.”

Starscream removed the sucker from his mouth with a ‘pop.’

“I like my treats sweet and my engex bitter,” he rattled off quickly before stuffing the candy back in his mouth. Wheeljack seemed to be staring. Starscream averted his gaze, feeling uncomfortable under the eyes of another.

“What?” he snapped, after glancing back to find the grounder still staring at him.

“Nothin’” Wheeljack answered quickly. “Just thinkin’,” he quickly turned his attention to something else. “Hey, let’s try that,” he proposed, pointing the a table where a few people sat across from eachother, painting eachothers faces.

Starscream scoffed. “I’d rather not show any religious sentiment,” he said as they approached.

“Don’t worry,” and all too perky voice broke in before Wheeljack could reply. “These markings don’t have much to do with Primus,” explained the Camien standing before the table. “They’re a representation of one’s self, put there by someone very important to the person being painted. Here-” she handed them a book filled with symbols. It explained what each represented and where one should paint it on their partner’s face. “You can try it if you’d like. We ask it only be done with a partner, however. Our volunteers aren’t personal enough.”

Wheeljack flipped through the book. “I ain’t much of an artists,” he said, glancing up at the nice Camien.

She shrugged a shoulder. “You don’t have to be. This is just one of the ways to represent a bond, like friendship, or trust. It doesn’t have to be perfect,” she smiled sheepishly. “Granted, it is a bit of a formal practice, but we thought it would be a good display to bring to the people of Cybertron.”

Starscream held back a scoff, not wanting to insult her.

“We’ll try it,” Wheeljack decide for them before looking up to Starscream. “I think it’ll be interesting. An’ I kinda wanna see what you’ll paint on my face.”

Starscream rolled his eyes. “Fine,” he agreed reluctantly. “But it better not stain.”

The Camien lead them to a pair of empty seats and presented to them two little bowls of red paint.

“I already got one picked out for you,” Wheeljack said, handing Starscream the book to look through it.

“That was fast,” Starscream grumbled, taking the book and beginning to flip through it. It wasn’t a very long book, there were only a few select patterns, all associated with a word or attribute. Some examples were “loyalty” “Strength” “Knowledge” among other things. In the back were more negative symbols, consisting of “Sinister” “Trickster” “Untrustworthy” and the good old fashion “Evil.”   


Starscream had a good guess as to what Wheeljack had chosen for him.

Wheeljack dipped his little brush in the paint and held it with intent. “Ready?” he asked.

Starscream closed the book. “Who says you’re going first?”

“The paint on my brush. An’ the fact that I picked first.”

Starscream slid the book back across the table the table. “Fair point,” he agreed.

Wheeljack opened the book and sound his page. For a moment he read over the instructions before looking back to his partner.

“Alright, close yer eyes,” he instructed.

Starscream didn’t follow the order.

“What?” Wheeljack shrugged. “I gotta paint the lid. That’s what it says.”

After another moment Starscream gave in and closed his eyes. There probably wasn't another bot in the universe he'd do that in front of.

The sudden cold of the paint meeting his skin made Starscream flinch.

Carefully Wheeljack filled in one lid, then the other, before going back to the first eye and starting in the outer corner.

Starscream could vaguely feel the shape. Wheeljack’s strokes we're steady as he painted the rim of each eye before drawing what felt like an outline. Once both outlines were made he began filling them in.

The brush was soft and the paint was cold. Wheeljack applied it gently and with care in long but slow strokes.

After he finished the paint right around the eyes he moved to the smaller aspects of the design.

“Can I open my eyes yet?” Starscream asked when he felt the brush make contact with the top edge of his cheek.

“Not quite,” Wheeljack answered absently, painting what felt like a circle below every eye. After that he painted two crescents.

“Alright,” Wheeljack said. “I’m done.”

Starscream opened his eyes, blinking a little to get used to the sensation of being painted. “Well?” he asked. “How do I look? This as  _ interesting _ as you were hoping?”

Wheeljack didn’t answer, too busy staring in what appeared to be awe.

“You-” his vocalizer hitched, making him have to reset it. “It-- you look good. I like this,” Wheeljack looked about the table for a moment before spotting a small mirror set by the edge of it. “Here-” he said. Picking it up. “Wanna look at yourself?”

Starscream didn’t want to see. He didn’t want to see what Wheeljack  _ really _ thought about him painted all over his own face.

Despite that Starscream accepted the offer. Wheeljack slid the book across the table, opened up to the page with what he’d selected.

Starscream studied himself in the mirror. The bright red paint almost looked natural on his face. The main pattern was around the eye. It projected from the outer corner, curved in slightly, then curved around the eye and curved again downwards right before it met the nose. After that the shape finished off, following the line of the nose up to the inner corner of the eye.

Right below the eye, nestled between where it curved against the nose and the bottom of the eye, was a small circle. On the outer edge, against the flat of the first curve, there was a small crescent, faced open end in. 

Starscream, after studying his face for a while, looked down at the book to see what it all meant.

When he found it the mirror nearly slipped from his suddenly eased hand. It was a good course of action when Wheeljack decided to take the mirror and gently set it on the table before them.

“Strength”

That was the attribute Wheeljack had marked him with.

“You-” Starscream’s voice hitched. “You chose-” his gaze bolted between Wheeljack and the book. “I...I don’t understand.”

Wheeljack’s brow furrowed. “Well, what’d you think I was gonna paint on your face?”

Starscream flipped to the page with all of the negative words. Ones assigned to the horrible people in the world. A hand came to rest over the image labeled “Monstrous.”

“I don’t know,” he lied.

Wheeljack reached across the table and presented to Starscream a brush already thick with paint.

“Your turn,” he said, smiling under his mask.

After a second of just looking at it Starscream took the brush and, with a new determination in his eye, got to work. He flipped to his page before asking Wheeljack to close his eyes and getting to work. The pattern didn’t require Wheeljack to have his eyes closed, Starscream just felt more comfortable not being stared at while he worked.

The pattern was much simpler than the one Wheeljack had chosen for Starscream, but the seeker worked slowly and meticulously.

When he finished Wheeljack had two crescents entrapping each eye, one to connect the bottom corner to the outer corner, and another to connect the bottom corner to the inner corner. It was finished off with a circle centered where the two met.

Starscream sat back, satisfied with himself. “Okay, you can open your eyes.”

Before Wheeljack really had a chance to regain himself Starscream shoved the mirror into his hand and the book into his space, opened up to the page with his symbol on it.

“Wisdom,” Wheeljack read aloud after taking a look at his face. He sat back. “Huh. Interesting choice.”

“It was either that or tolerance,” Starscream explained. “But I thought Wisdom covered all the bases.”

Wheeljack closed the book. “Well thank you. I’m...probably just as surprised as you are.”

Before either could say any more the Camien who introduced them to the practice came over to check on their progress. She smiled at them, admiring their paint. “You both look wonderful. It’s nice to see you think so highly of each other,” then she bowed her head slightly towards Starscream. “Lord Starscream, if I could be so bold, I know I don’t know you personally but Strength is very fitting of you.”

Starscream smiled. Genuinely smiled. He bowed his head slightly to her. “Thank you. I am glad I can serve my people. Both new and old.”

The girls smile seemed to widen a bit before she bowed her head again and took her leave. When she was gone Starscream looked back to Wheeljack who gave him something of a strange look.

“What?” Starscream asked after the grounder didn’t say anything.”

“Nothin’” Wheeljack answered, shaking his head. “Just don’t think I’ve ever seen you act so civil before.”

Starscream’s brow furrowed. “What? Did you think I was mean  _ all _ the time? I do have an image to keep up you know.”

Wheeljack waded his head. “Yeah,” he drawled. “I wasn’t exactly sure what that was supposed to be. I imagined you more as an elusive, cold, but caring kinda leader. Which- you kinda are, far as I can tell. Selfish to a tee, but...I don’t know-” he quickly climbed to his feet. “Ready to move on?” he proposed, quick to change the subject.

Starscream stood up with him, more than ready to move on.

They exited the tent without another word between them. The streets were still bustling, now with a few more over charged bots than before. Lights from vendors and games lit up the streets as they passed by. Cybertron had decided to share some of the traditions it had borrowed from earth in the shape of frozen energon and soft cloud like energon the vendor had dubbed “cotton energon”

Wheeljack had decided he wanted to try it and to got himself a stick. They sat on a bench while he enjoyed it.

“Free energon and this is what they turn it into,” Starscream mumbled, picking at the sickeningly sweet substance. He took a small fleck off and ran it between his fingers until it melted leaving an unpleasant sticky residue on his hand.

“I think you’d like it,” Wheeljack said, picking a piece off. “It’s sweet.”

Starscream eyed the pink fluff with a weary optic before pulling off a bit and quickly shoving it in his intake. “Hm,” he hummed as it melted against his glossia. “Kind of,” he played with the flavor in his mouth. “Weird,” he determined, trying to swallow but finding it was already gone. “Certainly sweet.”

“The stuff they can make energon into these days amazes me,” Wheeljack proclaimed, taking another, bigger piece.

As Wheeljack ate Starscream surveyed the area they were in. It was mostly vendors. People were selling food, trinkets, collectables, all sorts of things. A little ways away he spotted a shop with an assortment of frame decorations as well as scarves, paint, headdresses and wing ornaments, among other things. It immediately caught Starscream’s interest.  

“I’m going to go look at that stand,” he announced, going to stand. “Find me when you’re ready to move.”

Wheeljack stuffed the rest of the candy in his mouth. “I can come now,” he mumbled through a full mouth. As he stood he disposed of his stick in a garbage beside the bench before following the seeker to the stand.

It was one of the bigger tents so patrons could go in and try stuff on. The entire tent was filled to the brink with all sorts of over the top frame decorations. The vendors were two Camiens who for the most part ignored them as they looked around. Seeing a couple mirrors set about Starscream determined it was okay to try things on and so got to doing so.

Wheeljack sat back in a chair just hanging out within the stand. Most likely set there for people who’s friends or conjux spent way too long fawning over themselves in the mirror, like Starscream was doing now.

Starscream inspected himself as he tried on a slew of different combinations. From head decorations to capes to wing ornaments. The whole nine yards. At one point he turned to Wheeljack, all dolled up.

“What do you think?” he asked.

“I think you’re broke.”

“Oh now,” Starscream started, taking off what he had on his head and putting it back on the hanger. “I’m sure once my shanix come in I’ll be obligated to visit these vendors again in their shop on Caminus,” he took off the cape. “Or I could dip into the money I gained during the war but-” he shrugged. “I’m not one for using blood money unless absolutely necessary.”

“So you  _ do _ have money.”

“None that I want to spend,” he picked up another head decoration and inspected it. “Even I can respect the dead...most of the time.”

Wheeljack decided not to comment and instead continued with the previous subject. “I think you’re too flashy.”

“Thanks, because  _ that’s _ what I wanted to hear,” Starscream grumbled sarcastically, his eyes still locked on the object in his hands. The sudden feeling of something making contact with his wings made the seeker jump. He turned around to find Wheeljack now standing directly behind him.

“What did you-” Starscream started before cutting himself off, feeling that there was something still touching his wings.  He circled around a few times trying to see what it was. “oh,” he said, catching a glimpse of it. It was a simple decoration, one that hung over the top of the base of his wings and hung down to the top of his heel. The color was a soft pink, almost cream, not usually Starscream's style, but the little sparked that coated it made it somewhat more appealing.

“I like it,” he determined, then sharply turning to his friend. “but don't  _ ever _ touch my wings again.”

“I thought simple would work for you,” Wheeljack said, completely ignoring the warning. “An’ I like the color.”

“Hm. Well, unfortunately for you I have no money,” Starscream dictated, grabbing the end of his decoration and carefully slipping it off. He handed it back to Wheeljack for no reason in particular.

Wheeljack stared at if for a moment. “yeah,” he eventually agreed, still seemingly lost in his thoughts. 

By the time he snapped himself out of it Strarscream was halfway out the door.

Starscream didn't realize he'd lost Wheeljack until he started talking and nobody was there to listen.  He stopped and looked back, finding Wheeljack jogging a bit to catch up.

“What were you doing?” Starscream inquired, looking at his friend with confusion.

“Couldn't find where I got it from,” Wheeljack answered as they started to walk again. “Where to next?”

Starscream shrugged. “Wherever you want I suppose.”

There wasn't much else left to do, or at least not much Starscream  _ wanted _ to do. Partying wasn't exactly his  _ thing _ and that seemed to be the only thing left to do besides eat and shop which Starscream couldn't do either of. The night seemed to be coming to an end as the crowd, though still large, was dissipating. Those who weren’t leaving gathered in the main area to watch the final show. It was a combination of aerial maneuvers accompanied by fireworks. A flight frame from every colony got a chance to perform.

Wheeljack and Starscream settled on a bench to watch, both strained their necks to keep their gaze locked on the sky.

Busy watching the performance Starscream didn't  notice when Wheeljack started staring at him.

It was a brush against his shoulder and wing that caught his attention. When he turned his attention to Wheeljack he found the grounder staring at the sky with an arm casually draped around his shoulder, and a newfound decoration hanging off his wing.

Starscream could tell, despite Wheeljack's eyes being on the performance, that he wasn't paying attention to it at all.

Starscream eased back a bit and came to lean against Wheeljack before turning his attention back to the sky.

The outcome of the day was surprising.  

But Starscream wouldn't trade it for the world. 

  
  
  



End file.
